1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to computer systems and devices, and in particular to software application processes on computer systems and devices. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for enhancing meeting calendar/scheduling software application processes on computer systems and devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A growing number of computer users rely on the meeting scheduling/calendaring functions that are provided by conventional electronic calendaring and/or e-mail applications. One of the functions provided by these applications is the scheduling of meetings (e.g., conference calls) with one or more individuals (invitees) and issuing the invitations for such meetings to the invitees' electronic devices or electronic mailboxes, etc. Often, the meeting is conducted via telephone (e.g., a telephone conference), and the calendaring function simply enables the person calling the conference (hereinafter referred to interchangeably as “meeting owner” or “facilitator”) to inform the invitees of the meeting's topic, date, and time. Also, the use of the calendaring function enables the invitees to provide an electronic response (RSVP) to the invitation/request.
The invitees are typically identified by an e-mail or other electronic address (e.g., IP address or computer machine (MAC) address) and provide an electronic response from that address. The invitees typically provide a response (RSVP) message indicating the invitee's intention or ability to attend or not attend the meeting/conference. Certain calendaring/scheduling software may prompt the invitee to respond with an acceptance or rejection and then automatically return the response to the meeting facilitator.
In a somewhat analogous art, a large number of computer users have some sort of instant messaging (IM) application on their computer system and/or other portable electronic device, such as a cell phone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Certain applications, e.g., Lotus Notes® and MSN Hotmail®, provide some association between the e-mail software and associated IM software. This association enables cross-features, such as: (a) a user of the IM software selecting one of the IM identities (or addresses) and automatically opening the e-mail engine to send an e-mail to the e-mail address corresponding to the IM identity (ID) and/or (b) the e-mail inbox displaying an icon indicating whether or not the user is currently logged into his computer (or his IM service), or some other current IM status of the user. However, current IM applications are independent of the calendaring function whether or not provided within or associated with the e-mail engine.
Utilizing the calendaring function, the facilitator of a meeting (interchangeably referred to as a conference call, which represents one type of meeting that may be scheduled) will electronically invite people to a conference call, and may then follow up with a reminder message, delivered via e-mail or via phone. However, even with such reminder methods prior to the time at which the meeting is scheduled to begin, it is not uncommon for the facilitator of the meeting/conference call to be made to wait for invitees to join the call. Frequently, the facilitator has to call those invitees after the meeting/conference call is scheduled to begin to remind the attendee to call in to the conferencing center. When the meeting attendee is online, an astute facilitator may be able to send a reminder by opening his/her IM client and sending the attendee an IM message reminding the attendee that the meeting is about to begin. This process requires that the attendee be “online,” and the facilitator has to open his IM portal, recognize that the attendee's IM status is “online”, and then open the chat session with that one attendee.
With the current IM systems, the facilitator may individually establish an IM session with each attendee who has not yet joined the meeting and prompt/remind that person that the call has in fact begun. Thus, the facilitator has no way of knowing if the person is online unless that facilitator opens his/her IM client and has that attendee's IM ID added to the list of contacts in the IM client. To provide this reminder to multiple attendees requires that each attendee have an online presence and his/her IM ID included within the list of contacts in the facilitator's IM client. More likely than not, the persons (invitees) with whom these meetings are scheduled are not the same people that are “close” enough to be included in the facilitator's list of IM contacts. Thus, while the facilitator may be able to ping one or more of the attendees via the IM portal, many others attendees may not be reachable without some other means of contacting the person outside of the telephone conference itself or e-mail addresses. Additionally, in other situations, the facilitator may also wish to start an IM session with all attendees to a meeting to share a URL or some other bit of information electronically. Without having an IM group established, this process becomes cumbersome and discourages use of the IM chat to share such information.
Today, the facilitator could individually invite each “accepted” invitee to a chat to see where the person is and remind the person of the conference call/meeting. In the Lotus Notes® environment, the facilitator may also/possibly use NotesBuddy® to create a group chat. However, this would require knowledge of each attendee's note signing ID and/or manual creation of a specific contact group of the note signing IDs for that specific meeting. However, since each meeting may involve different numbers and different sets of participants, manual creation of a group for each meeting schedule is time-consuming and inefficient.